"Even if you practice only for an hour a day with faith and inspiration, good qualities will steadily increase. Regular practice makes it easy to transform your mind. From seeing only relative truth, you will eventually reach a profound certainty in the meaning of absolute truth."Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

Hi deff,I received an SMS from my Vajraguru and shared it with friends here.I did not ask him about the occasion.We sometimes get such messages from him when he meditates and detects Buddhas who would be coming down and and passing or sweeping across the world.He also tells us about things to put on our altars as an offering that would attract them to make a quick stop over before moving on.This time it was three lotus candles. Thus we get our altars and our houses charged with positive energy and their blessings too.

Of course Green Tara and any Buddha always comes when we think of them. See the story of Asanga and Maitreya for example. And Guru Rinpoche promised to always be inseparable from people who pray to him and esp. on the 10th day of the Tibetan lunar calendar. Lama Zopa says in his autobioography that as a boy he would squint into the setting sun to try to see Guru Rinpoche. We have special days but the Buddhas are always raining down their blessings and will always come.

"Even if you practice only for an hour a day with faith and inspiration, good qualities will steadily increase. Regular practice makes it easy to transform your mind. From seeing only relative truth, you will eventually reach a profound certainty in the meaning of absolute truth."Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

kirtu wrote:Of course Green Tara and any Buddha always comes when we think of them. See the story of Asanga and Maitreya for example. And Guru Rinpoche promised to always be inseparable from people who pray to him and esp. on the 10th day of the Tibetan lunar calendar. Lama Zopa says in his autobiography that as a boy he would squint into the setting sun to try to see Guru Rinpoche. We have special days but the Buddhas are always raining down their blessings and will always come.

Kirt

Buddhas, Gods and Divinities appear under 2 conditions.One is because of some vow of their own(as stated by you) and the other is by the prayful vow of one who has a bodhi-heart that wants to do good for others and does not want to cling to himself.It was a vow by Guru Rinpoche to visit us on the 10th day of the lunar calendar but how many of us get to see his holy appearance? We may chant his mantra and invoke him but he will not appear to us because we may not be mediating in the proper way or might not have reached that level of meditation.First the incarnation of voidness has to be repeated which contains the meaning that everything is void, including myself.This meditation is continued until we get the sign of voidness. Then in the midst of this meditation the holy being who is desired will appear in our anthropomophic body or before us as an object of worship.This again this depends on whether we have been doing good for others and not clinging to ourselves.Yes, Buddhas are always raining down their blessings and will always come.You and I will not know exactly when, would we?They can come at any time, and you and I will not know when, would we? Then again, both of us would probably not have that kind of wisdom.

One popular incident that most of us could still remember was when Lord Ganesh came down and stayed behind on earth for a few days.He loves sugarcane.If we had kept lorryloads of sugarcane in our houses, our Lord Ganesh statues at home would still not be warm(a sign of his presence).My statue was warm for a few days because I was advised to put a six inch long purple sugarcane in a standing position on my altar.That is all it took.When there are wise people around,we could all benefit and I never benefit alone. I share.We should all share and if some do not want what we offer, then there is nothing we can do about itas stated in the OP, "However, the choice is yours"Thanks Kirt. Keep posting and commenting as that could in one way or the other open up new pages for us.

"All the sublime teachings, so profound--to throw away one and then grab yet another will not bear even a single fruit. Persevere, therefore, in simply one."--Dudjom Rinpoche, "Nectar for the Hearts of Fortunate Disciples. Song No. 8"

Hi Silent Bob,I am at peace just by looking at your altar.Why are 4 apples offered instead of 5? I don't have a Tara statue and I don't know how offerings are made.It must be very peaceful meditatating with her.

Why are the offerings made from right to left? (assuming the two waters for drinking and washing, flowers come first according to tradition).. I know in my tradition the wrathful offerings are made right to left put peaceful offerings are always made running left to right..

Contentment is the ultimate wealth;Detachment is the final happiness. ~Sri Saraha

"Absolute Truth is not an object of analytical discourse or great discriminating wisdom,It is realized through the blessing grace of the Guru and fortunate Karmic potential.Like this, mistaken ideas of discriminating wisdom are clarified."

May any merit generated by on-line discussionBe dedicated to the Ultimate Benefit of All Sentient Beings.